Page 21 of Caterina
“And the message was delivered before or after that?” I ask.
“Before. It's why the route was changed at the last minute. All of our schedules have been rotating constantly since we received the threat.” His voice goes flat again. “But it wasn't until then that we realized our own security couldn't be trusted, not until we rooted out this mole.”
“Do you have any ideas on that?” I ask.
His jaw tightens. “Not yet.”
I glance between them.
That explains the lack of visible personnel outside. The stripped-down human security. The digital emphasis. The choice to bring in someone from Texas with no ties to Atlantic City, no historywith their men, no preexisting loyalties for anybody local to exploit.
Good. Now we’re speaking the same language.
I fold my hands loosely in front of me. “All right. That’s enough for me to understand why I’m here.”
Teresa’s shoulders ease a fraction.
Vito’s do not.
I ask, “How many people know you’re treating this like an internal breach?”
“Very few,” Vito says.
“Good,” I say. “Keep it that way.”
His eyes stay on mine. “That was always the plan.”
I nod once. Then I ask the part that matters most now.
“And Caterina? Why are you bringing in outside security for her only?” I look between them. “What about the rest of the family? I have a whole firm.”
“We're holding off on that for now,” Vito says. “And the reason Caterina is the concern at the moment is because she's the one whose situation is the least contained.”
“Talk to me.” I pick up my water glass.
“She's the only one of us who lives alone,” he says carefully.
“You mean she's the only one without a man in the house to protect her,” I say bluntly.
Teresa objects. “That's a little sexist, don't you think?”
I turn to her. “This has nothing to do with sex,” I say. “Plenty of the security that I employ are very capable women. But the fact is, in this family, there is a distinction. The men in this family live this life, every day. They carry weapons but also have the experience of using them. They have an instinct for threat that comes with living it. That is the truth.”
Teresa looks at Vito, who gives a slight, almost imperceptible nod of agreement.
She lets out a scoff. "You two are unbelievable. What about Roberto? He's an attorney, and he works at the casino just like Caterina does. I'm sure he'd do whatever he had to do to keep his family safe, but I worked with violent offenders for years."
She gestures to herself. "That instinct for violence never goes away for some, and despite his calmer demeanor, it's definitely present in Roberto. But there is a point where the skill to... implement it, so to speak, dulls. Knives only stay sharp as long as they're sharpened. He's spent his days in offices, boardrooms, and courtrooms for nearly as long as Caterina's been alive. Not exactly the environment for... sharpening knives."
I look at Vito, my expression questioning. She does have a point.
Vito looks at Teresa, and there is a flicker of something in his gaze. Not just affection, but admiration. I know that look. He respects her opinion, and he listens to it. It's not a common quality in men like him.
It may even earn him a notch or two of my respect.
Not that I plan on telling him that.
He reaches over and takes her hand. "You are right. Roberto's job is more white-collar now. He made the choice to go to law school for the good of the family. And he's the one who takes care of all of that boring shit, the paperwork, the meetings, the contracts. I think he actually likes it, to be honest," Vito adds disbelievingly, almost as if he couldn't imagine it. "And we're all very grateful he does because none of the rest of us wanna do it. But... that's not all he does."
